Alphinaud

[Theodric]

Alphinaud's great, though. Out of all of the Scions he undergoes the most drastic and meaningful character development.

[Iscah]

I REALLY like Urianger but he keeps getting the shaft. They finally give him a storyline... and it felt shoehorned in to say the least. They gave him a "new outfit" then take it away from him and put him back in the library with his old robes.

Urianger is in an odd place, time-wise. While most of the Scions are free to move around and be in different locations (and make permanent costume changes), he's had to stay contantly located at the Waking Sands because he has sidequests to give out, and a part to play in the Binding Coil questline.

This would also affect (or rather block) any possibility of a permanent costume change for him - he needs to appear in cutscenes for those quests, and from what I understand of how the game handles cutscenes and NPCs, I don't think they could have it dynamically show him in the correct costume depending on when you complete them. So it would be prettymuch necessary to have him revert to his normal costume.

For that matter, it seems the NPC at the Waking Sands is effectively 2.X Urianger, locked in time until he's done everything he was supposed to do two expansions ago - and he remains present even when current 4.4 Urianger has a reason to be elsewhere. But if you've completed all his quests, temporally-displaced-2.X Urianger can go back to his original place in the timeline, and current-Urianger is indeed absent.

So because they've done that, I have to wonder if they'll continue on that path - don't send him back to the Waking Sands afterwards, or at least don't put him in charge of any more quests. Let him stand around researching when he's not directly needed, but have him free to move about as the MSQ progresses, like the other characters can.

Maybe we'll have some sort of new important location for him to oversee instead.

(And yes, permanent costume change please! But maybe keep the goggles since it's kind of part of his fixed appearance. I wonder if he'd go back to the other robes, or if Tataru would come up with something for him...?)

Lyse... well she was more fun as Yda and she is no longer fun after the end of the Dragonsong arc. I have no interest in her anymore.

I agree. It feels like there's very little connection between "Yda's" personality and Lyse's.

Yda actually had one.

But seriously, she was an obvious personality type that would be "easy to write" and work out how she'd respond to a situation (airheaded comment, snarky retort from Papalymo, all good fun). Lyse... I honestly have no idea. She's just there.

[Cilia]

Alphinaud is the real protagonist of XIV.

He's been sharing the spotlight with his twin since she was reintroduced to the MSQ, and while there are a lot of other players at the core it's been Alphinaud's story from the tail end of the 2nd act of ARR up until now. The Warrior of Light is there, but their character is largely limited to "weapon to be pointed at whatever's causing trouble," and the rest of the Scions mostly follow suit. Tellingly, when Alphinaud suggests electing a new Antecedent to fill Minfilia's chair he's surprised everyone feels he's the natural choice (as he's already done so in all but title, even if he's more hands-on than Minfilia ever was).

The miqo'te are instantly recognizable, and Y'shtola is a significant NPC players like because she's a catgirl. That's about all that's special about her - you see Y'shtola and instantly recognize "Oh, the XIV character." She stands out - Hyur are just humans, there are no popular Roegadyn NPCs, and they can't use Elezen or Lalafell because XI already has mascots belonging to those races (or their XI analogues) in crossover games (Prishe and Shantotto). An Auri character would work well, but they didn't exist when any Dissidia game was in development, and there are no real candidates for that role but Yugiri (who, while not unpopular, isn't at the heights of popularity she would need to be).

[Anselmet]

Y'all will have to pry Alphinaud from my dead, cold hands. He is best boy and the only boy.

[Haxaan]

"snip"

(And yes, permanent costume change please! But maybe keep the goggles since it's kind of part of his fixed appearance. I wonder if he'd go back to the other robes, or if Tataru would come up with something for him...?)

I have been praying for Tataru to give him a makeover since they revealed what his face looks like in HW. I absolutely love his design and his character and hope that one day Square will give him the love he deserves (prays it happens in Shadowbringers, since it seems the appropriate time to bring him back to the front line)

I agree. It feels like there's very little connection between "Yda's" personality and Lyse's.

Yda actually had one.

But seriously, she was an obvious personality type that would be "easy to write" and work out how she'd respond to a situation (airheaded comment, snarky retort from Papalymo, all good fun). Lyse... I honestly have no idea. She's just there.

I loved Yda and Papalymo. They were the light on an otherwise gloomy day. Their clever banter and ready to go attitude always made me smile. Lyse... there really isn't much to say about her. She is rather vapid and shallow as far as depth of character are concerned. For someone who is put in such a high place in the plotline she really does nothing to help improve the emotion of the scenes. She just exists. I REALLY hope they do something with her because at this point I'd take Minfillia back over doing another scene with Lyse.

[Songwillow]

Urianger is in an odd place, time-wise. While most of the Scions are free to move around and be in different locations (and make permanent costume changes), he's had to stay contantly located at the Waking Sands because he has sidequests to give out, and a part to play in the Binding Coil questline.

This would also affect (or rather block) any possibility of a permanent costume change for him - he needs to appear in cutscenes for those quests, and from what I understand of how the game handles cutscenes and NPCs, I don't think they could have it dynamically show him in the correct costume depending on when you complete them. So it would be prettymuch necessary to have him revert to his normal costume.

Yet Alisaie is in her original outfit in Binding Coils of Bahamut, but her and Alphinaud can be seen in their current outfits in Sirensong Sea. I mean I get that they aren't a sidequest giver like Urianger, but I anticipate that most characters have more than one outfit and Urianger just likes to be comfortable in his clothes at the Waking Sands. I don't consider costumes to be absolute since outfits are interchangeable.

A strange tangent but one that has a silly tie to the point. The only thing that seems to be absolute in this game so far is that some characters are not able to be killed off if they featured in both MSQ and another piece of content outside of the MSQ. Examples include certain dungeons and sidequests. Alphinaud, Alisaie, and Lyse are in the Sirensong Sea dungeon (on the ship), Alisaie in Binding Coils of Bahamut, Krile in the Warring Triad arch, Cid in Castrum Meridianum and the Praetorium, Nero, Biggs, and Wedge in Alexander. The sultana is in disguise in one of the saltery quests, making it impossible for her to be killed off. However if it is a character that was exclusively in a dungeon or side quest then they are able to be killed off with no issues. Alexander with Mide or Crystal Tower's G'raha Tia comes to mind. An interesting point is that Yda is not in a side quest or dungeon, but Lyse is, meaning that they won't kill off Lyse but they had no problem waiting to change how Yda would be seen until that point.

There is a weird process to quest making in FFXIV that makes each developer have to ask, "does this event contradict any other content already in the game?" Typically they are good about that where they won't make those contradictions though they won't factor certain events that keep characters away such as Krile or Y'shtola going missing, injured, or comatose due to the MSQ while doing side content. However you will know that a major character is going to stay alive if they are involved in a side quest.

[GStargrave]

While Alphinaud really got on my nerves back in ARR he is actually one of my favorite characters now and the development that he has been through makes me appreciate what a brat he was back in ARR more. Alphinaud isn't static, more than any other npc character he has changed and grown as the game has continued. Although throughout Stormblood he has been sharing the spotlight more with Alisaie if you want to see less of him. I am guessing by your forum profile that you might still be in ARR's storyline--if so give the kid a chance he goes through a lot of character development and matures in Heavensward.

For sure.. mainly because he is one of the only NPCs to get any real attention. I mean hey great.. he has had his chance to shine and grow... I just think it's time for someone else.

[Naria]

Alphinaud is the real protagonist of XIV.
He's been sharing the spotlight with his twin since she was reintroduced to the MSQ, and while there are a lot of other players at the core it's been Alphinaud's story from the tail end of the 2nd act of ARR up until now. The Warrior of Light is there, but their character is largely limited to "weapon to be pointed at whatever's causing trouble," and the rest of the Scions mostly follow suit. Tellingly, when Alphinaud suggests electing a new Antecedent to fill Minfilia's chair he's surprised everyone feels he's the natural choice (as he's already done so in all but title, even if he's more hands-on than Minfilia ever was).

I feel like Alphinaud is kind of in being this weird position of being FFXIV's deuteragonist but because the PC is such a blank slate by design, he ends up outshining the protagonist.

For sure.. mainly because he is one of the only NPCs to get any real attention. I mean hey great.. he has had his chance to shine and grow... I just think it's time for someone else.

Like others I'd love for the Scions to get some more screen time (every time they do seems like its just to herald that something terrible is going to happen to one of them). Alphinaud is for better or for worse is the character that is tying the game's story together across expansions in a way that the mostly personality-less PC can't. That said plenty of other characters get good character arcs, Estinien and Yotsuyu being ones that immediately come to mind. I wasn't a big fan of Yotsuyu's patch arc when it started, but I actually liked how they resolved it.

[Hestzhyen]

I love Alphinaud to bits. He's come such a long way from the spoiled brat we met in ARR.

I don't think there would ever be time to do it, but it would be great for the other Scions to get the same kind of development. I never really cared much for Y'shtola, Krille and Thancred are cool but seem to do more off-screen than on, and Urianger is criminally under-utilized. I miss Papalymo and Yda more than ever now that things are getting grim again too... Lyse failed to impress and was honestly a let-down after the huge reveal. Alisaie is the only Scion I feel is in a good spot comparatively.

What would help most of all, though, is if the Scions didn't have to be victims of the Worf Effect just to keep raising the stakes for the WoL's involvement. These guys are the best and strongest in Eorzea but they keep getting put on a bus to make us handle all the problems.

[uvuvwevwevweonyetenyevweugwemu]

Urianger is the master of riddles, even the writers are confused about him. I suspect they're trying to keep MSQ not to sound as vague as a sightseeing log, but he will jump-in out of nowhere like he always do anyway. Shame he has to be 'unavailable' this time but there's also the less-known Scions like Harry Boulder or Ephemie. I think they will take his spot this time because I can imagine Alisae staring blankly at Urianger's words.